


Spiritual Earth Chronicles (PHE)

by Lenighma (Mareonet)



Category: Beelzebub (Manga), Bleach (manga), Yu Yu Hakusho
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Bonding, Crossover, Fanfiction Spoilers, Gen, Humor, Mystery, Omake, PHE, TALE-related
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2018-05-02 17:48:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5257877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mareonet/pseuds/Lenighma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year after the incident on Sōkyoku Hill, everything changed. Those who were human only remained aware of the strange unexplainable events happening worldwide, whereas those who had the blood of the Grounds in their veins were endangered. Ichigo Kurosaki, the infamous hybrid, and Yasutora Sado, who both have the blood of Hollows in their veins; Yusuke Urameshi, the descendant of an S-Class demon, and his friend Kurama, a full-blood demon; and Tatsumi Oga, a human-turned-devil and the adopted father and contractor of the youngest son of the Lord of Flies. These young men have been brought together by fate to witness and herald the coming of the Truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to be horribly honest. This came out of nowhere. I don't even know how to explain how I ended up staying up one early morning for six hours writing all of this...marvelous...beauty of a crossover fanfiction. But because it was all written in a single go, there are errors EVERYWHERE. Errors as in things that a hardcore fan of any of these fandoms would notice immediately, including myself, to be honest. But I don't care. I call this a "preview" because I am currently in the process of rewriting this over with one more fandom included and the errors and other awkward things about this fanfic eliminated. 
> 
> Please...just read and enjoy for what it is. I sure do. More notes at the end...
> 
> "Beru" is how you pronounce "Be'el" in Japanese. "Berubo" translates to "Baby Be'el", or something along those lines. I have Tatsumi say this while everyone else actually says "Be'el" because this helped me keep him in character, hearing his voice (anime) in my head. 
> 
> There are spoilers, however, for those who are reading my Bleach fanfiction series [Echo [The Remixes]](http://archiveofourown.org/series/194192).

In a dilapidated factory, littered with rubble, debris and filth, if one listened closely enough, they would hear the echoing of strained, heavy breathing. Further inside, hidden in a room where old pressurized gas tanks and pipes once roared with steam, the body of a young man slumped against a wall on the floor.

From head to toe, he was covered in blood, his once dark brown hair slick and matted to his forehead from the fluid trickling down his face. His head rested back against the wall, showing his half-opened eyes had nearly rolled into his head. Blood pooled from between his parted lips, leaking from the corners of his mouth, causing him to cough raggedly now and then from the foreign substance slipping down his esophagus. One arm was limp at his side, and another held a small black bundle in his lap.

In this bundle was a small infant, no more than two years old, if that. The baby had dark green hair and a round pacifier in its mouth, staring up helplessly at his parent, clinging to the bloodied shirt.

"...Dada..."

The sound was enough to bring the young man back from the brink, and his eyes focused forward. He shifted, stifling a cry of pain the movement brought, but tightened his hold on the infant. "...Seven...days..." he breathed, though his voice was more weary than strained, "without...food...Berubo..."

His body felt heavy, heavier and in more pain than he'd ever felt in his life, which was saying something. But he had to give his energy to sustain Be'el, or the infant wouldn't have survived going without food for so long. The demons that were following them had completely exhausted him, and he wasn't going to shrug off the fact that he could very well die if they were attacked again.

"...Berubo..."

The baby tilted his head to the side. "Dada?"

Slowly, his father looked down at him, eyes faint with weariness and bated pain. "...I don't...think I'll...survive another attack..." At the shocked cry of fear, he cracked a small grin. "...I just need...some food..." he lied, though it was a half-lie; he was painfully hungry.

His adoptive son looked around hopefully, but that hope was quick to drop. There were no animals at their location, as they sensed the demonic energy from them, and Be'el wasn't going to explore on his own to find the ones that _were_ ; no sirree, not with his parent on the apparent brink of death and homicidal demons on their tail.

A sound of movement alerted both father and son, and the man's eyes shot open wide in the direction of the noise. He growled softly, steadily forcing himself to his feet, and felt Be'el climbing to his back for protection. Taking a moment to regain himself, briefly closing his eyes, the Zebul runes slowly crawled up his arms as he murmured, "Berubo...no matter what happens to me...don't cry until you _know_ it's over."

"...Adaa."

__________________________________

A humanoid creature sniffed out the faintly familiar scent as it neared the devils' location. It seemed human enough; in stark contrast to its skeleton face, the long horns protruding from the sides of its head, its claw-like hands, and colorless skin, it wore baggy black pants and a dark navy jacket under a backpack even as it crawled on all fours. Interestingly, there was also a long, cleaver-like broadsword wrapped in cloth tucked between the backpack and jacket it wore. In the sockets of the skeleton face's deep eyeholes, inverted sclera and piercing white irises of keen, undoubtedly human eyes scanned the horizon.

 _More demons_ , he thought, focusing his attention on an old factory where the telltale snarls and inhuman screams rang out.

 _"...And something else,"_ whispered the voice in his soul.

He silently agreed, watching as more black and misshapen flits ran towards the factory. He could sense it clearly in the air around him and through his being. Something powerful was very angry, if "angry" was enough to justify what he sensed. Though these...Infernal Kin...were still largely unfamiliar to him, he had enough experience with them to know this creature was different from the ones he met in the past. Devils; wasn't that the name for this more powerful demonic species...?

Regardless, he had no intentions to become involved.

There were more pressing matters at hand.

He shifted in the shadows, continuing his scan of the area for his missing companion...and his personal threat. True, days had passed since he last saw them, and they him, but he wasn't going to take any chances. He couldn't remember the last time he was in his human form, and though this form was just as natural to him, he didn't want to remain in it forever.

After another moment of observation, he crawled out of the shelter of the building's shadow and dug his claws into its side, intending to climb down to the ground.

His senses alerted him to an attack and he used sonído to dodge it, reappearing in the alley below. He didn't even bother moving a muscle to look at the demon, taking a mere second to unsheathe his sword and slice the hellion in half. Upon hearing its halves thump sickly to the ground, he took off with sonído once more, moving further away from the factory.

_"...Ichigo."_

_Yes, Zangetsu?_ he responded to his soul.

There was a pause and dramatic sigh, a definite trait of his Hollow shining through. _"...It's quiet."_

That was all the warning he received before he ran straight into...something...that sent him flying back in the air. He gathered reishi beneath his feet, quickly catching himself, only for what had to be a foot to dig itself into his stomach, sending him plummeting to the ground.

He swore to himself, quite literally. _Thanks a lot_.

_"Focus!"_

And he did, disappearing from his supine position on the ground in a burst of sonído to avoid his adversary's second attack that was also aimed at his stomach. He reappeared in the air again, swearing once more in surprise at not only _what_ had attacked him, but also what its failed attack on him had done to the ground and buildings: both buildings that created the alley cracked from their foundations to their roofs before crumbling before his eyes, bringing up dust and dirt.

The thing that attacked him?

It was that _other_ thing he sensed.

The one that was very angry.

To make matters stranger, this thing was visibly male and perfectly humanoid...save for the demented, shark-toothed grin, blood-red eyes and the clearly demonic runes all over his body pulsing on the surface of his skin.

...And why the hell was there a demonic _baby_ on his back?!

__________________________________

"...Kurama...get ready for a scuffle, or at most some nasty bites." Behind a large mane of black hair, slanted pupils acted as a scope, locking onto the two figures engaging in combat. Their owner sighed, shaking his head in irritation. "I don't think the devil has control of himself. Otherwise, he sure as hell would know better than to attract so much attention to himself and his unfortunate prey."

His white-haired companion came up to his side, resting a foot on the edge of the branch. "And the...ah...What _is_ that, exactly? It looks like a cross between an Arrancar and a Vasto-Lorde," he observed, fiddling with a rose in one of the hands limp at his side.

The younger demon shrugged, going into a low crouch while keeping his eyes focused on his targets, and responded, "...Looks like a Vasto-Lorde to me, but either way it's not gonna be pretty...Alright. I'm goin'. Have your plants at the ready."

" _Try_ to be careful," his companion reminded.

"Meh."

With that, the predatory hellion jumped up, only to bound off of the reishi in the air with such force, to the rest of the population behind him, it was as if a sharp and powerful gust of wind blew them back.

...Unfortunately, a white form was now sprawled on the ground, wind-blown and eye twitching.

"...Damnit...Urameshi...Use some _tact!_ "

__________________________________

It hurt. He didn't know what it was, but he was too familiar with the accompanying pain. He was running himself ragged, he knew that much, but what rationality he had was lost in the overwhelming instinct to _survive_. His consciousness was drifting, somewhat at peace, save for that _hurting_ , but he could think in this part of his mind. This drifting was allowing a separation from the part of him currently in control of his body and feeling the brunt of the pain.

Though his son was no longer nearby, an innate sense told him Be'el was afraid, so numbingly afraid.

...Why? This creature he fought wasn't frightening in appearance in comparison to a devil's true form, so it couldn't be that. Hell, it looked more like a skeleton.

...Could it be that?

...Regardless, he knew he had to get a hold of himself. After the demons in the old factory were killed, he had jumped on this...Hollow, if his guess was even somewhat correct, out of the blue, no provocation or reason to it. There was also something about this... _Hollow_...that was different from the others he and Be'el had encountered. Was it a Vasto-Lorde?

Additionally there was the simple fact that he was doing the exact opposite of what he wanted, which was...not attracting attention to himself.

_Way to go, Tatsumi._

However, his plan to ease his way back to full consciousness was cut short when he was forced back into control of his body, the full strength of an S-Class demon rattling him to his bones.

__________________________________

Ichigo had only a second to take notice of the whirling mass of muscle and mane before a fist was driven into his face, shattering his mask entirely and temporarily rendering him shell-shocked. That "temporary" moment was all the demon needed to drag him to the ground along with the ballistic devil, who didn't seem to see the attack coming at all.

He saw a flash of shock on the demon's face when his face was revealed, and only then realized he was on his back, the demon's talons around his neck. When did he become so weak? There was a telltale thrum in his soul, that _he_ knew exactly why so there was _no_ damn reason to begin the mental abuse.

Back to the situation at hand, he immediately fired a bala from his fingers point-blank to blast the demon off of him, and then fired another to move the snarling, reviving devil away from him while he jumped into a crouch. However, both hellions were tenacious, as they both caught themselves in midair. He didn't know Infernal Kin could also manipulate reishi! The demon, however, dove back down with a vengeance.

Everything then happened so fast, Ichigo would later swear it _couldn't_ have happened.

But it did.

Now this demon was rather built. It lacked a shirt entirely, allowing him to see it was broad-shouldered, perfectly toned and covered in runes as the devil was, except a different color and pattern. It also seemed about his age, at least physically, and its body mass easily outranked his own lean, deadly structure. In fact, it physically reminded him of Chad.

That didn't mean what happened _should_ have happened.

...But...it did.

The demon didn't just land on the ground, he pummeled the Hollow _into_ the ground with both feet, causing a mouthful of blood to speckle into the air from between the Hollow's lips. Not losing a bit of tempo, he grabbed the Hollow's face and raised him up, only to throw him like a deformed missile towards the devil, who was still in midair.

The two bodies collided and the trajectory was inevitable. Leaving a trail of blood, saliva and dirt in the sky, they rocketed into the direction of the forest on the outskirts of the now partially ruined suburbs and shortly landed with an earth-shaking boom.

Seconds after the dust rose into the air, hundreds of vines suddenly emerged from the ground to wrap around the two beaten creatures before lifting them individually into trees. The Hollow was completely unconscious, head hanging limply as his body rested against a tree trunk, and the devil was...

"...Urameshi."

The young demon came to his companion's side, who stood under the tree the devil was held in, staring upwards. He looked up, only to wince. "...Ah...I guess...I went...a bit overboard..."

The devil appeared on the brink of death, eyes distant and unfocused, bleeding mouth hanging open for raspy, short breaths of air. The energy he used to fight and move had evidently abandoned him, and the runes on his body had disappeared. In fact, he seemed entirely human now, not a sharp tooth in sight.

"No," the white demon assured quietly, "he was already gravely injured. I will heal him..." He then raised an eyebrow, watching as his friend also returned to his human form while smiling in relief. "'Get ready for a scuffle,' you said, so convincing that I would actually have some participation in the fight. Was all of that really necessary or were you trying to make up for something?"

"Eh...not really," his friend responded, sheepish and suddenly quite tired. "It just came to me and I did it." He ran his fingers through his knee-length hair, grumbling at the inconvenience, then yawned and closed his eyes. Somehow, he managed to walk blearily towards the base of another tree, likely intending to rest there.

There was slight movement. "...Uh..."

He only slightly opened his eyes, but continued to walk. "...Mm?"

"...Urameshi..."

"...What, now?" he huffed, stopping in his tracks and his body slumping at the thought of being denied rest.

"Hm. Ah... _Huh_."

"What??"

"...I'd brace for impact." It didn't sound like a warning. More like a statement of fact.

He blinked his eyes open and glanced back. "Eh? Imp—"

The body of a green-haired baby collided with his chest in a bullet-like headbut, sending him flying into the recesses of the forest.

As the devil hung in the tree, he just barely saw a small, cooing form approach from the ground and large glistening orbs that held so much fear and concern looking up at him.

The corners of his mouth could only twitch, the closest he could come to smiling in his condition. His voice just barely audible, he breathed his son's name before going unconscious.

He didn't cry, after all.

__________________________________

When Ichigo awoke, the first thing he noticed was how he was surprisingly warm. Funny, he was sure he lost his jacket during the fight with that damned...devil thing. He nearly lost his backpack, too, but wisely took the time to set it down on a roof somewhere during a "break"...He'd have to find it, soon...and where was Zangetsu...?

His eyes popped open in remembrance, and he jumped to his feet with a cry of shock. He then blinked, taking in the view before him. "...Chad?"

Indeed, it was his missing friend, sitting on a log near a fire, the source of the warmth, looking hale and hearty. He smiled, relief and joy visible in that simple expression despite his long bangs hiding his face, and raised a hand in greeting. "Ichigo."

Ichigo broke into a rare and genuine smile, the internal unrolling of tense muscles from anxiety and stress washing through him like a wave. He sat back heavily on the ground, closing his eyes and breathing a sigh of relief. When he opened his eyes he took notice of Zangetsu and his backpack near where his head had rested on the ground, which only amplified his smile.

"Great," someone grunted, "another one in need of a haircut."

The foreign voice snapped Ichigo back to the other two males also sitting around or near the fire. The one who must have spoken was lying down on the ground, nothing beneath him but grass as he was a bit away from the circle of dirt.

...Wait a minute, Ichigo recognized that mane...!

"...YOU!"

He was back on his feet in a flash, as was Chad, who held a hand out to prevent his friend from assaulting the demon. "Ichigo, wait," he intoned, his soothing baritone immediately stopping his friend in place, and their eyes met. "Everyone has a story. Let him tell it."

The tense atmosphere that suddenly arose from that simple outburst died as quickly as it came with those few gentle yet significant words. Long orange hair swayed as Ichigo slowly shook his head, smiling once again, both in appreciation for and amazement of his friend. Wordlessly, the two then each raised a hand for the other to embrace in a strong handshake.

"Got those bastards off your tail?" Ichigo asked, though he already knew the answer, otherwise there wouldn't be another fire stoking in his friend's dark eyes.

The small, knowing smile spreading on Chad's face was an unsaid confirmation.

Those Shinigami wouldn't be bothering them for a _long_ time.

______________________________

"...Wasn't there a devil here?" Ichigo asked Kurama after settling from his outburst. This was the first time in maybe a week he could truly relax. His first question after reuniting with Chad was if they were far from the town the three of them nearly destroyed, and he was inclined to believe them when given an affirmative. He hadn't landed in the forest conscious, so he didn't know for sure, but...despite having just met them, his soul didn't give him a reason believe otherwise, either.

There was food and water, freshly provided by mother nature herself, and the cool nighttime air was eased by the fire's warmth. He and his companion managed to rendezvous, they were surrounded by other denizens of the Grounds...He was feeling rather amiable.

Kurama's human form was just as delicate in appearance as his pseudo-demon form. He had soft eyes and stark red hair, a lean build and his appearance was androgynous at first glance. "The older devil was on the brink of death, so it took a much longer time for him to heal," the demon explained, brows furrowing at the reminder of the devil's condition. "It appears he's...not completely devil. Somehow he's a human that...made a contract with a devil, which I believe to be the baby."

"Is that unheard of?" asked Chad. He sat nearest to the fire.

"Well, yes, it shouldn't be _possible_ ," Kurama insisted, brows furrowing. "Similar as we seem, demons and devils are as alike to one another as humans are to monkeys. There is much that one can do the other simply cannot. Creating contracts like the one I sense is one of them."

Ichigo sat marveling at the rocks that were carved into makeshift cups, but kept an ear open. He then blinked in realization.

_What the hell..._

"Speaking of...species and such...I realized we never really introduced ourselves," he announced, which caught the attention of the lazing demon on one of the logs.

"...You're right. I'll go first then—"

"Oi, wait," Ichigo interrupted, looking all three of the men in the eye, "Chad and I are refugees, here. I don't want to know your life story, but...can we agree not to leave out anything _absolutely_ important?"

The demon's dull eyes blinked at him. "Like if we're being chased and hunted down by someone and why without giving away every little detail that may or may not be necessary?"

The carrot-top had the sinking feeling of familiarity from the demon's sentence. "Exactly."

"All the more reason to go first." The demon sat upright and crossed his legs, giving a crooked grin. "Name's Urameshi Yusuke. I guess we're all around the same age, so never mind that. I'm also supposing we all know about the Grounds...?" he trailed off cautiously, giving Ichigo and Chad pointed looks.

"Yeah."

His face went alight and he placed his hands on his knees. "Great! So my ancestor was an S-Class demon, and the bloodline's been dormant until now. Everything was actually pretty...eh... _not-normal-but-manageable_ in my life until some weird shit between the Shinigami, shamans and everyone else started happening."

Ichigo balked, exchanging a glance with Chad. "Wait, why the _hell_ would the 46 Chambers want anything to do with _Infernal Ground_?!"

Shaking his head, Kurama sighed as he explained, "They think we're from _this_ world's Hell, not _the_ Inferno, unfortunately. This world's Hell, as you likely know, is connected to the Soul Society by will of the Great Spirit, also known as the _Reiō_. The Reiō is said to have given a portion of Its powers to Hell's ruler, infamously known as Taizan Kuzun, or Enma, as we are more familiar with." He made a sheepish smile, drumming his fingers on the ground. "In fact, we're _quite_ familiar with him..."

"Good or bad?" Chad asked.

"...Eh...it's neutral."

"Ah."

Remembering something a friend once said, Ichigo put two and two together, causing his expression to darken. "Then...there must be a war going on in the Soul Society, right now," he murmured, teeth clenching, "just as he said there would be...!"

Even Chad's expression shifted at this, and he slowly nodded in agreement.

Kurama and Yusuke exchanged glances. This was evidently a touchy topic.

After a short moment of silence, it was Chad who broke the tension, handing out some fish that was cooking near the campfire; they were caught and placed there by Yusuke and his companion. "It's ready, but hot."

"...Thanks, Chad," Ichigo softly murmured, his dark gaze slightly fading as he let go of the past. For the **moment**. He took the one of the sticks and sat back, looking at Yusuke.

The young demon took a moment for everyone to get settled, including himself, before continuing. "...Eh...so since then, I've...sort of been on the run. Wickedly powerful Shinigami seem to be after my head for some ungodly reason; they're only supposed to deal with dead people, for fuck's sake. Kurama here," he gestured to his traveling companion, who gave a nod, "is traveling with me because we got separated from our group, if you will. A bunch of demons were together trying to get to a safe spot in Japan where we can stay while this blows over." He shrugged, scratching the back of his head with his free hand, and looked away. "It's not that I _need_ to be there...but...I do need to know where it is..."

"...I suppose...Shinigami can't hurt you while you're at this place?" asked Ichigo between bites of his fish.

"Yep."

"Or so it should be," Kurama reminded.

"... _Don't_ remind me."

The redhead took a bite of his fish, glancing at his companion. "Unfortunately...you _must_ be reminded, Urameshi."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "So that's it with me." He then promptly bit the entire fish off his stick, chomping happily.

"Then, I shall go next…" Kurama said, glancing to the fire, watching it crackle and spark. "...By experience, I am older than Urameshi, here. I transferred my soul into a fetus before it gained its own, and was thus reborn," he said, the unsaid happiness of the good life he had reflecting in his eyes. "...And...well, I am traveling with Yusuke. Like him, I am on the run. I suppose that's all."

"Then we're all refugees," Ichigo scoffed, folding his arms. He briefly closed his eyes, taking a moment to compose himself. After all of these years, the past was still so... "Kurosaki Ichigo is my name. I'm a hybrid in the most literal sense: my mother was a Quincy, who became half-Hollow through some bastard's experiment, and my father was a Shinigami by birth who temporarily became human. Summing it up about right, I should not have been born and that same bastard whose experiment made my mother half-Hollow orchestrated my whole life until I was about seventeen. I was born with latent powers of each of the species in my blood."

Kurama's eyes widened, but he now observed the young man with a completely different understanding and respect. He didn't say it aloud, and supposed it was unsaid fact by this point, but yes. A "Kurosaki Ichigo" with that genealogical makeup should **_never_** have been born. A second attempt to recreate that was guaranteed to never happen again.

Yusuke only whistled. "...Damn..."

The Vizard shrugged, "Didn't mean anything until I was fifteen, anyway...Eh..." He rested his hands on his thighs, looking away in an attempt to collect his thoughts. It was such a long story, so painful, now. Was he really just 24 years old...? He shook his head. "Trying to sum _everything_ up, here, I was betrayed by the 46 Chambers seven years ago; damned bastards tried to assassinate me. I escaped, grew up well with other outcasts, along with friends," he nodded at Chad, "who were also at risk. And...last year..."

Though it still hurt to talk about it, Chad easily picked up the pace. "Last year a...remarkably brave man was...more or less executed by the Gotei 13, the Soul Society's top militia. However, he died in this world's Hell."

Both Kurama and Yusuke cringed at this, and the latter even stared off in absolute horror.

Seeing they understood exactly what that meant, Chad continued, "We had befriended him, and he was the most unlikely ally and companion we've ever had. He was the one who informed us of the truth, such as the Grounds and the connection between the Shaman King and the Reiō. To us, it seems as if this schism between the Grounds is a direct result of his death..."

Tentatively, Kurama ventured, "...Why so?"

"He...knew too much. That led to his inevitable death, in more ways than one. After revealing all before he died, everything between the worlds changed."

"...I see..." Lowering his head, the redhead slowly nodded in understanding. That...would truly hurt the ones he left behind, even after the fact, and cause more bitterness towards the 46...

Taking a deep inhale, Ichigo finally concluded, "So Chad and I are on the run because we can't get into contact with our companions and are being pursued by—you guessed it—Shinigami."

"What the fuck is wrong the Central 46?" Yusuke spat, a low hiss escaping him.

Kurama easily intervened, knowing all too well what the answer was, and summed it up with a single sentence: "90% of everything we know of today, right here, right now, was _not_ told to anyone for the past hundred thousand years or so."

Everything else...was a lie.

All went quiet for a moment. Cooled fish was consumed, and water was drunk. And then the attention went to Chad.

He waved. "Sado Yasutora. Ichigo misheard my surname as 'Chad'...and it stuck. You may call me Chad, if you like," he said. "I met Ichigo in high school and though I had latent powers of my own, circumstances came into play that awakened them. I am a Fullbringer, a person who inherits Hollow-like powers when their mother is overexposed to a Hollow's reiatsu while in her womb."

"...Hollows are...interesting..." Kurama murmured aloud.

Ichigo just scoffed. Wasn't that just the understatement of his life.

Nodding, Chad said, "I'm targeted by the 46 Chambers because of my Hollow connection, and of course my assistance to the outlaws of the Soul Society. You may not be surprised to know that...of the many we know, only one was actually a criminal..."

"...Yeah..." Ichigo sighed, knowing it was good to remember that...

But still...

Chad seemed to be on the same wavelength. "...though...even that situation was far from black and white."

Ichigo only smiled to himself.

__________________________________

"So let me see if I remember your names..." Ichigo placed a fist under his chin, glancing off in thought.

Leaning towards Yusuke and Kurama, Chad whispered, "He's...not too good with names after first introductions."

"Ah," both demons chorused in understanding. Someone should have told a certain young demon that meant to mentally prepare himself.

Pointing to Yusuke, Ichigo said, "You're...Ushima....something...Sasuke...?"

" _Urameshi_ _Yusuke_." The demon huffed, crossing his arms. "Idiot. I'm no cow."

"With the way you eat, yeah, you are, ya had four huge fish! And Sasuke is close! One letter off!"

"I'm a demon, we got high metabolism! And one letter doesn't count!"

Narrowing his eyes as the two bickered, Kurama addressed to Chad, "...Is this normal for him?"

The gentle giant nodded. "Extremely."

Placing a hand on his forehead, older demon sighed, "Well, he seems to bring out the stupidity of my young friend."

Dismissing the fireball of a demon, Ichigo looked at Kurama. The rather passive elder merely waited. Grasping his chin, the Vizard guessed, "Yoko Kurama?"

"OI!"

"Your name is harder," Ichigo hissed to Yusuke, "so shuddup!"

 _...They're like teenagers or children..._ Kurama murmured to himself, eyes slanting further. Had Yusuke somehow regressed...?

 _...At least they're not in each other's faces,_ Chad thought. That would be...a regression for Ichigo, as well.

A grin grew on the hybrid's face, and he pointed at Yusuke, challenging, "I'll bet you can't even remember my name!"

"Well, let's see..."

All four men froze in place at the unfamiliar male voice. However, Kurama was the only one to calm after the initial shock. Slightly.

"The one with the carrot top is...Kurosaki Ichigo," the voice continued, sounding bored and rather tired, "a hybrid made up of Quincy, Shinigami, abnormal human, and Hollow DNA."

Ichigo twitched. Putting it that way _did_ make him sound like an experiment. A younger him would have shouted at the voice to shut up, or to come out, but he knew better, now. The voice wasn't using the typical cliché of "all around you, thus you cannot find my voice", so...

"The one who...I don't know what the fuck you did, but it was just nasty...and was _reborn_ , is Yoko Kurama."

Watching Ichigo, Kurama merely glanced in the direction the voice was coming from. So the devil was listening to them this whole time...

"The big guy is...Sado Yasutora. Though almost painfully opposite to them, you remind me of a friend of mine..."

There was a yawn after this, and Chad frowned. This guy, at least by the way he sounded, interestingly somewhat reminded him of some certain powerful Gotei captain...though slightly.

"And the last one...Urameshi...Yusuke."

Kurama's eyes widened at this, as did everyone else's, and a chill ran down Yusuke's spine. The voice no longer sounded so lax and bored, there was a dangerous edge to it. Deadly. None too happy.

"...You're the motherfucker who used me as a _punching bag."_

_______________________________

Two of these four guys were _loud as fuck_. If it weren't for the fact that they were deep in a forest somewhere, he would've beaten them senseless for all the noise they were causing _the second he woke up_.

His awakening had been slow, his mind muddled from the severe bloodloss he'd sustained, and was entirely unwilling to move. However, after a few minutes of idle resting, someone had taken notice of his consciousness, that someone suddenly crawling into his lap to pat his face.

"Dada?"

A strange tension he hadn't noticed before uncoiled within him at the sound of the voice. "...Berubo..." he murmured, lifting a heavy arm and placing it gently on his son's back.

There was a pleased, childish chirrup, followed by a hug and a head rubbing against his own. He cracked his eyes open to assess his son's condition, subconsciously returning the affectionate nuzzle. The small body was pressed against him, and blocking most of his vision was the side of Be'el's face, allowing him to see the overjoyed, closed-eyed expression upon it and the unshed tears in the corners of the baby's eyes...

Sighing, he simply held Be'el against him, eyes opening wider and upwards to see where the hell he was. They appeared to be in a...tree, judging by the feeling of elevation alone. He was slumped against the tree trunk, his right leg stretched out on a thick branch and the other resting against another diagonally below him. The vegetation was thick enough to hide his form from general view, but thin enough for him to see through the leaves and branches.

Even with his recovering senses, he had known there were people nearby. He couldn't sense anything that would define what their species was, but he had more than a hunch that at least one of them was a participant of that strange...fight...or...skirmish...Well, whatever it was, he didn't like the fact that it happened. He couldn't lose control of himself like that again, it made him weak in the head.

Be'el suddenly relaxed, lowering to his chest and resting there. He glanced down, adjusting so he held the infant in the protective curve of his arm. A soft sigh indicated his son's contentment, and he closed his own eyes to get some _real_ rest.

...Or...

He remained in the surprisingly comfortable position, but kept his ears keen to the conversation going on behind him.

Minutes later, his eyes were completely open, and he digested the information he'd heard.

All _three_ of them, huh...Runaways. Refugees.

...Inhuman.

He startled suddenly when a pointless argument began between the hybrid and the younger demon out of the blue. It escalated too damn quickly, and over something so petty?

The sleepy child on his chest stirred. "Noise..." Be'el murmured, brows furrowing.

A vein popping under the surface of his forehead, the teen slowly sat upright, careful not to jostle his son too much. Hell, he was still tired, himself, but that was it.

Those bastards woke up the baby.

_______________________________

The three acquaintances watched as a tall figure emerged from between two large trees, and suddenly they all froze. It was only a teenager...or maybe a young man just leaving his teens, barefoot, his clothes in tatters and heavily stained with dried blood and dirt. The faint smell of blood still clung to him, indicating he must have washed up, somehow...

But the reason they froze wasn't because of the dried blood, or the sleepy-eyed, green-haired baby resting in his jacket's hood on his back. It wasn't the shark-toothed, jagged scowl on his face, nor the shine of red rimming the edges of his irises.

The atmosphere itself had changed, becoming stiff and cool, and not a natural chill in the slightest. The fire went dim, casting shadows about them that seemed a bit unnatural despite the fact they could all see in the dark. The teen's aura was dragging them in, overpowering them though he had yet to do anything to cause such a sensation.

Ichigo had never felt so unsettled and intimidated in his life. His eyes were raging a shining ebon-silver, and in his chest he felt the familiar twinge of a hole attempting to form. How could this... _thing_ cause him to react so strongly and instinctually to it's very presence...??

Yusuke, however, was worst off. His eyes were wide, and his posture had changed from upright to nearly a crouch in instinctual, numbing fear. Kurama was tense as a whipped dog, but, at the same time, he was confused. There was something off about this... _devil_...that wasn't...normal. Wasn't... _something_ , he couldn't put his finger on it, though his mental fingers abandoned the search for something to press when his intuition wanted him to grovel, run, threaten, fight, freeze...

On the other hand, Chad was the least affected. While he could sense the unbelievably raw and dominating power slowly rolling off of this teen, his more human senses were only preventing him from daring to even consider fighting. He was frozen in place, and wanted the source of his fear to stay away, stay away, don't come closer, please...

"You bastards..." the teen growled, tense hands at his sides appearing as claws, "...woke up Berubo."

Kurama lowered his head and some of his upper body, a submissive gesture. If he was going to get them out of this alive, he was going to pull out all the stops. Additionally, they all needed to talk with the devil about that little _incident_. "We were unaware that your child was asleep," he said evenly, though without an abrasive edge.

The teen focused on him, his scowl slightly easing. "...You healed me up," he recalled, but the growl was still fierce in his tone. "Huh. The fuck is wrong with you guys, making so much damn noise in the middle of the fucking night?"

"My companions are...boisterous. Forgive them, they were caught in the moment," Kurama pled, allowing the fear and bated hope to show on his features, giving a low bow.

This seemed to turn the teen off, and his scowl deepened, though the glanced back at the baby, asking, "...Whaddaya think, Berubo? Should we let them off, this time?"

Though frowning, the infant made a gagging noise, rolling his eyes. "Da... _blergh_."

The scowl subsided. "... _Che_. He says you're not worth wastin' time on...and he's tired, anyway."

Quickly as it came, everything was normal again. Kurama startled at how the devil looked completely normal again, perfectly, absolutely human. The fire was crackling with life, their little area was bright from the light it created, and the overwhelming, misplaced sensations were a fleeting memory.

...What the hell?

"Now..."

Cracking knuckles brought his attention back to the devil...who was suddenly standing in front of Yusuke, who seemed just as disoriented as he felt from what had happened.

"Where the fuck do you get off on getting in the way of _my_ fight?"

The baby echoed his father, complete with a thuggish expression and inflection in his tone...but in a completely different language.

Both Yusuke and Kurama, however, were fortunate, or unfortunate enough, to understand it.

Taking only a step back, hands tightening into fists, Yusuke scoffed, "Oh? They have demonic thugs, now? Had no idea Inferno was stooping so _lo_ —" He saw the hand shoot out to grab his shirt, but was too late to react, and now stood face-to-face with the devil.

Though irritation was almost tangible in the air, the teen's expression only seemed more excited. "A comedian, eh. The Hollow was _mine_."

"Oi!" said Hollow hybrid exclaimed, stepping forward. "Where the hell do _YOU_ get off fighting me when I didn't antagonize you at all?!"

Instead of getting an answer from the father, he got the son. "Aidah! Dabu...DA!" the infant shouted, a finger of warning pointed at him.

"Don't you spew gibberish at me!"

"DAH DAH!"

Yusuke took a hold of the devil's shirt, eyes narrowing. "You were out of control, hellion. I intervened to _stop_ the damn fight," he explained lowly, a dangerous edge in his tone.

Before the demon's eyes, the jagged teeth flashed at him in a wide grin. "I had it under control."

" _Che_ , like hell you did!"

"You owe me a fight."

Someone cleared their throat. "Pardon me."

Both demon and devil glared at the interruption. " _WHAT_?!"

Chad was standing, but he wasn't the one who spoke. Beside him, a white-haired demon glared openly upon them, arms crossed. "Since a certain someone has calmed down only for everyone to attempt working him _back_ into a rage," Kurama stated coldly, "why don't you all take a time-out like the children you mimic?"

Seconds after he spoke, more vines sprouted from out of the ground beneath them, entangling their bodies and pulling them away from each other. Before a single complaint could escape them, a vine wrapped around their mouths, as well.

"Shut up and listen, you three," Kurama snapped, addressing Yusuke, Ichigo and the devil, respectively, though to a lesser extent, Chad as well. "We are being hunted. After hearing our stories we can easily deduce the devils are fugitives or runaways as well. This isn't the _time_ to act like fools and bicker amongst ourselves."

The devil's eyes narrowed, and his struggles to escape the vines somewhat lessened, though his son made a low growl.

Looking at the duo, Kurama demanded, "You. Who are you? It's evident that you're a high devil, perhaps the son of one of the Rulers of Inferno?"

"Daabu!" cried the infant, the only one not wrapped up, as he sat on the ground. He made some gestures with his hands, creating a symbol in the air that manifested with red light.

Both Yusuke and Kurama gasped, the latter stepping back in his shock. He immediately released them from his vines and bowed to the devil and the infant; near him, Yusuke did the same.

"My Lord," Kurama intoned, "son of Beelzebub, Zebulbe'el."


	2. Omake: Alternate Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...So what if the ending of the story was even sillier...?

"So who's missing, here?"

"The baby devil and the damned devil, obviously."

"Where'd they go?"

"Hell if I know, I was _asleep_ this whole time."

The arguee's companions glanced at each other in silent conversation at how the two would get along in no time.

"That _baby_ _devil_ sent me flying! I don't know what happened, either!"

"Of course it'd attack you, idiot, you attacked its father!"

"So did you!"

Chad briefly shook his head before turning to Kurama. "What happened to them?" he asked calmly, genuinely interested.

"...You might find out in a minute," Kurama sighed, eyes fixated on movement in the forest behind the two arguing males.

Following his gaze, Chad honestly did startle a bit at the four blazing red eyes that had appeared in the verdant, one pair belonging to the adult and the other belonging to the infant on his shoulder. So... _they_ were the devils...

The two who were arguing, however, didn't seem to notice the drop in atmosphere until it was a bit too late.

A rather giddy, mostly maniacally dark voice chimed, "Do you have _any_ idea how _badly_ injured I was, you wannabe mulletheads?"

The arguing cut short, and the instigators sat frozen on the ground, wondering how they didn't notice the light had dimmed around them. Suddenly, an internal alarm that was a wee late to start blaring did just that at fire alarm amplification inside of the younger demon. Suddenly, the Hollow hybrid realized he _was_ in the midst of a _devil_ , here.

...Wasn't there some sort of rule about being around them or something?

"Do you have _ANY_ idea there is literally no one in **_INFERNAL HELL_** who could have taken care of Berubo if I had **_DIED_**?" the voice demanded, and its owner could see the two before him glancing at him out of the corner of their eyes.

"...Pardon me," Kurama interrupted with great care, "but they don't know who Be'el-sama is..."

"The Hollow aside," the apparent devil parent scoffed, "YOU, mullet-demon, have no excuse!"

"Hm, Urameshi is a bit slow on the uptake, I'm afraid."

"I'M _AFRAID_ HE'S A BIT STUPID!"

"OI!"

After that simple knee-jerk response passed the demon's lips, Ichigo sat in unadulterated, sheet-white horror at the body before him whose head was, somehow, _perfectly_ buried in the ground after a simple downwards punch.

"BOW TO ME!!"

"DAAABU!"

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I KNOW! It ends abruptly!? The scenario is unrealistic! Why ISN'T Kuwabara with Yusuke instead of Kurama? What the hell happened to Sado and Ichigo? Seriously, what is wrong with Tatsumi and why is Be'el's full name...NOT what it should be?? WHHHYYY is the ending so weird and silly??? Etc, etc, etc, I know, I know, I KNOW what's wrong with the story!!!
> 
> ...Well, "wrong", or changed severely...
> 
> Originally, this was going to continue, but I realized the mistakes and lost all inspiration to continue. I hope you enjoyed, anyway~! Look forward to the remake, coming...eventually!!


End file.
